Descendants
of the Sizemore Family, Ancient
Planters of Colonial Virginia

By:
Wanda Ware DeGidio

Virginia
review, Vol. 75, p. 19, County
Publication 1996.
"so they brought her
[Pocahontas] to Henricus, and
she lived at Henricus with
Reverend Alexander Whitaker
and his housekeeper, Martha
Sizemore. He instructed
Pocahontas in English ways and
in religion of the Church of
England. She accepted
it, and was baptized."

The true
story of Pocahontas: the other
side of history, By Linwood Custalow and
Angela L. Daniel, p. 119: states,
"Bridenbaugh makes it clear that
three leaders within the Virginia
colony, Alexander Whitaker, Sir Thomas
Dale, and John Rolfe, were close
associates. They were bonded by
their Calvinistic beliefs and similar
aspirations for the colony. They
all lived in close proximity to each
other in the Virginia colony, John Rolfe
arrived in Jamestown in June 1610 and
experimented with varieties of tobacco
crops." ... "Both
Alexander Whitaker and Sir Thomas Dale
left England together and arrived in the
Virginia colony in 1611." ...
Devout Calvinists, Whitaker, Dale and
Rolfe worked in consort in strengthening
the colony via Calvinistic influences,
fulfilling Virginia Company's threefold
religious, political, and economical
goals. Whitaker promoted Calvinism
in the Virginia colony by serving two
settlement churches, in Henrico and
Bermuda Hundreds." ... Sir Thomas
Dale enforced Calvinism by promoting a
political structure and by serving a
deputy governor of Virginia."
... "Dale is famous for the
enforcement of the "Lawes Divine,
Moral and Martial." "Bridenbaugh
states, "Foremost among the Puritan
rules was Governor Dale, whose Sabbath
laws would have won approval from
strictest English
Puritans."

In Southern
writers: a biographical dictionary, p.
480 – Alexander Whitaker was born at
Cambridge, England, in 1585. In Late in
March, 1611, he sailed from London with
Sir Thomas Dale and 300 colonists,
reaching Virginia May 19, 1611. From
court records we learn that Martha
Sizemore, "lived at Mr. Whitaker's house both before and at the time of his
death." From these records it
can be surmised that she was an employee
of Rev. Whitaker, arrived in Virginia
with him and, "paid for her passage to Virginia and wanted to be reimbursed
accordingly." We also learn,
that Capt Martin said, "he
encountered Martha Sizemore while he was
in London," and when there,
"she tooke acquaintance of
him." Captain Martin made
a comment that Martha Sizemore was,
"often tymes into Englande from Virginia."
It appears from this information that
Martha made numerous trips to England as
an employee of Rev. Whitaker. It
also appears that she was the main caretaker of
Pocahontas after her capture in 1612 while she
was living at Rev.
Whitaker's home. Given the sparse
number of women living in Henrico at
that time, Martha undoubtedly assisted
with her conversion to Christianity, as
well as helping to plan her
wedding at Jamestown in April
1613. It is well-known that John
Rolfe's plantation was situated in
Henricus near that of Rev. Whitaker's.

Y-DNA
RESULTS:

Clade
Q is defined by the M242 mutation, which contains 13 haplogroups
marked by 17 SNPs, as well as an unmarked paragroup Q*. Distributed widely
in North Eurasia, Haplogroup Q is also found at
high frequencies in some Siberian groups (Karafet et al. 2002) and at low
frequencies in Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East. It is also the major
lineage among the Native Americans, with Q-M3 (Q1a3a) being almost completely
restricted to the Americas (Zegura et al. 2004). Undifferentiated paragroup Q*
is observed at low frequencies in India and Pakistan. Sizemore DNA
results are not Q1a3a Native American, but instead are Q1a3 ancient India
or Pakistan origin. This is quite interesting since Q1a3 is the Haplogroup
from which Q1a3a originated.

From
the book, Shawnee Heritage, Shawnee Genealogy and Family History, by Don Greene
and Noel Schutz (viewable at www.books.google.com),
thousands of hours were invested by researcher and writer Don Greene to
compile this book. During his research, he was befriended by Noel Schutz, who
has been researching the translation and interpretation of Shawnee
names to determine clan and division affiliations. Whenever possible Greene
has shown the percentage of Shawnee blood by the use of fractions, and has
used the term Metis to show that a person has some degree of white ancestry.
Adopted whites are generally in

cluded only if they left Metis children or were
notable in some other way. He states, "The following 1,400+
names are of some of the Shawnee and those with some degree of Shawnee blood
that were born, lived or died in the turbulent 1700s. These Shawnee represent
only a portion of an Encyclopedia of the Natives of the 1700s, east of the
Mississippi, that I am working on. Currently I have nearly 20,000 entries from
all the tribes, 4,000 + of them being partly or entirely Shawnee. While the
Shawnee listed here may be of interest to genealogists, historians and others,
it has been my goal to gather as many names as possible in one place. While I
have intended to stop the listings at 1800 but in the cases of important or more
interesting families I have followed their lines further, please forgive my
enthusiasm. Most lived and were known as Shawnee but many lived and were
considered to be members of one of the other tribes in their ancestry or even as
whites. These Shawnee, plus the remainder of the nearly 4,000 + Shawnee and the
rest of the nearly 20,000 + listings for my proposed Encyclopedia represent the
last of the free Natives east of the Mississippi and their futile struggle to
stop the encroachment by the whites."

SHAWNEE
HERITAGE:

Don
Greene has the following information on the Sizemore family:

Noel
Schutz has the following chart on the Shawnee naming system:

Based
on the information compiled by Don
Greene [shown in red]
in his book: Shawnee Heritage By Don
Greene, Noel Schutz, p. 227:
the following is the genealogy
of the Sizemore family:

700 plus descendants of Edward "Old
Ned" Sizemore filed an Eastern
Cherokee Application for Cherokee
status. Based on these
applications, "Old Ned"
himself did indeed speak to others about
being of Cherokee ancestry. Ron
Blevins discusses this issue thoroughly
at: Sizemore
Legend and Fact. However,
based on settlement rules, all
applications were denied. Their
Cherokee ancestor had to be among those
removed from their land, (as were those
forced to walk the Trail of Tears in
1838), as opposed to just relocating to
another area. For a detailed
overview of the Sizemore cases, read
case #417 in Jerry Wright Jordan's
Cherokee by Blood: Records of
Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the U. S.
Court of Claims, 1906-1910: http://www.therainwatercollection.com/reference/ref396.pdf

Eastern
Cherokee Application [ECA]
# 10133 by Frank Sizemore of Pineville,
Wyoming Co, VA, born 1867, son of John
M. Sizemore and wife Millie Green. Says
parents resided in Wyoming County in
1851 and that his father died about
1894. Says his father John M. Sizemore
was the son of George J. Sizemore and
wife Jennie Baldwin, and that his mother
Millie was the daughter of Polly Green.
Lists children of grandparents George J.
and Jennie Sizemore as Frank, Ned, Owen,
Solomon, Joseph, and John M. Sizemore,
and Oma Lambert, Jennie Cline, Reney
Billips, Sess Milam, and Elizabeth
Payne. List ancestry as My father John
M. Sizemore, son of George J. Sizemore,
[see note below] son of Ned Sizemore Jr,
son of George Sizemore, son of Ned
Sizemore Sr who is said to have been of
Indian Blood but his wife was a Cherokee
woman. (RLB note: Frank erroneously
lists his grandfather as the son of Ned
Jr. who was really his older brother.)
There is quite a bit of correspondence
in support of this ECA and one letter in
particular is of interest. It reads:
“Mr. Miller, the Sizemores of old man
Ned was the people that was actually
entitled to that money tho we all got
our blanks wrong. We claimed through his
descent and we ought to a claimed
through her descent. We all failed to
give her Indian name and it was Aruna
Hart. I suppose I had heard my
grandfather G. J. Sizemore claimed the
Indian Blood by his mother. He claimed
her to be the Cherokee Indian. We are
the people no doubts, but our
applications was wrong I suppose. Yours
Truly, Frank Sizemore” In another
letter Frank writes “Mr. Guion Miller:
My kind friend, will inform you that my
great grandfather sometime in the 19th
century, he married this Cherokee squaw
woman. Ed Sizemore was his name and
Elizabeth Hart, if mistaken not, was her
name. [Note: he left out son of
George Sizemore]

WILLIAM
SIZEMORE, ANCIENT PLANTER

BIRTH:
Abt 1600

IN:
England

DEATH:
Bet 1650-1675

IN:
VA

FATHER:
Mr. Sizemore

MOTHER:
Unknown

WIFE:
Martha

WIFE'S
FATHER: Unknown

MARRIED:
Abt 1622

IN:
England

DESCENDING
SON:

Samuel
Sizemore

Children:

1.
Samuel Sizemore b: Abt 1625 in VA.

"Ancient planter"
is a term applied to colonists who migrated to the Plantation of Virginia
"before the coming away of Sir Thomas Dale" in 1616, and continued
there for at least three years. These colonists received the first land grants
in Virginia. Those who paid their own passage to Virginia received a "first
dividend" of 100 acres, free of quit-rent. Those who were brought at the
Company's expense also received 100 acres, subject to an annual rent of one
shilling per 50 acres. Planters who arrived later than 1616 were entitled to a
lesser grant of 50 acres.

According to a letter from
John Rolfe dated January 1619/20 "All the Ancient Planters being sett free
have chosen places for their dividends according to the Comyssion. Which giveth
all greate content, for now knowing their owne landes, they strive and are
prepared to build houses & to clear their groundes ready to plant, which
giveth great encouragement and the greatest hope to make the Colony florrish
that ever yet happened to them."

Settlers
flocked
to Virginia because of the headright system, and on 18 Jul 1620, Martha
Sizemore stated in court that she had paid
for her passage to Virginia and wanted to be reimbursed accordingly.
William and Martha Sizemore were both living in Virginia prior to Rev. Alexander
Whitaker's death in the spring of 1616, and as Martha stated in court,
"lived at Mr. Whitaker's house both before and at the time of his
death." Therefore, both William and Martha Sizemore fall into the
category of "Ancient Planters."

"When Captain
John Martin went to England with [Sir Thomas] Dale in the spring of 1616, he
left Henry Coltman to plant his ground at Charles City in corn and tobacco,
under the supervision of his friend Rev. Alexander Whitaker of Henrico, who sent
his man, John Flood, to aid Coltman. Whitaker was drowned in March, 1617, dying
intestate. When Martin returned in May he found no corn; he held Governor Yeardley
responsible for his loss, and this was the beginning of a long and bitter
dissension between them. Martin sued Yeardley, and
some of the depositions in the case have been preserved. The governor deposed
that he had turned over Whitaker's property to his servant Thomas
Hobson, "who was as his son and child kept by him in
his life time," and that Hobson had used the corn in feeding himself,
Jarrett Hollock, John Flood, and one Ruben, the other servants of Mr. Whitaker.
Martha Sizemoure, who lived at
Rev. Alexander Whitaker's house both before and at the time
of his death, knew nothing of his owing Martin any corn, and stated that
Whitaker had been obliged to buy corn for himself from Thomas Dowse."
Source: The
first republic in America: an account of the origin of this Nation By Alexander
Brown, Pg. 241.

The
above Jamestown court record shows Martha Sizemore had been living at the home of Rev. Alexander
Whitaker prior to his death in March 1617, it can only be assumed that her husband
William lived there as well. Although her duties in Rev. Whitaker's
household is unknown, she was likely a cook or housekeeper and was definitely present
during the time Pocahontas was living
there. Henrico was
the second oldest settlement in Virginia next to Jamestown, having been
"planted" or populated by settlers in 1611 by Sir Thomas Dale and Rev.
Alexander Whitaker.
Whitaker, a graduate of Cambridge, was seated in England in "the North
Country" where he was held in high esteem. He was a man of great
wealth left to him by his parents and excellent prospects of promotion, but
instead of living a life using the means afforded to him, his heart was drawn to
Virginia where he felt the need for his services to be far greater. After
his death, he
became known as the "Apostle of
Virginia" by those who came to know and love him.

1622-1629 Minutes
of The Council & General Court - Mrs Elizabeth Hamer, sworne
& Examined, sayeth yt Capt Martin told her that beinge in london and goinge
through new gate market Some other gentlemen beinge wth him, Martha Sysmoure
came unto him and tooke acquaintance of him, The gentl that were with him asked
him is this one of your Virginia whxxes? Capt Martin
asked them, why, they
said because she ran so often tymes into Englande from Virginia and more she
canot saye. And after this at another tyme Capt' Martyn came to this Exam't and
told her yt some body had reported to Martha Sysmore yt he said she was a whxxe
to who this examinate answered, no you did not say soe, but you saide yet some
ells did say soe to you which he confest to be
trew.Source:The
Virginia magazine of history and biography, Vol. 23 By
Virginia Historical Society, Pg. 135-136. [It appears that Capt Martin held ill feelings toward Martha Sizemore after she
gave testimony that she knew nothing of Whitaker owing him any corn.]

Around 1619 Capt. Francis West,
brother of the late Thomas West, Lord de la Warre, laid out a plantation known
collectively as Westover consisting of 500 acres along the Appomattox
River upon old Weyanock territory. This plantation encompassed the
property owned by himself and his two surviving brothers, Capt. Nathaniel West
and John West. Demographic records compiled in March 1620 showed no colonists
seated at Westover, but by March 22, 1622, the date of the Indian attack, two
people were killed at each of the
West brothers' plantations. Lt. John Gibbs' dividend, part of the same community, also came under
attack. The nearby plantations of Owen Macar and Richard Owen appear to
have been part of Westover. In May 1625 Capt. Francis West was credited
with 500 acres that were "planted." This raises the possibility
that he reoccupied his property after the Indian assault, although his brothers
may have failed to do so."
"On February 16,
1624, William Sizemore (Sismore,
Seymore, Sysmore) and his wife, Martha,
were living on West and Shirley Hundred
Island (41). In May 1625 he was credited
with 100 acres on the north side of the
Appomattox." Source:
Virginia immigrants and adventurers, 1607-1635: a biographical dictionary By
Martha W. McCartney, pg. 63.

Those
"planted" at Westover between March 1620 and March 22, 1622:

1.
William Sizemore [100 acres] He was granted 100 acres before 1622 on the north side of the
Appomattox, where they were seated prior to March 22, 1622. Between 1636
and 1642 there are numerous patents referring to a "Sizemore's Creek" boundary line
which is a reference to this property. Source:
The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1607-1660 by Peter Wilson
Coldham;
and 2) Virginia immigrants and adventurers 1607-1635: a biographical dictionary By
Martha W. McCartney.

2.
William
Farrar [100 acres] he was a Virginia Company shareholder who at the time of the Indian
attack was occupying a plantation on the east side of the Appomattox River, a
little inland from Bermuda Hundred. It is believed he took refuge at Jordan's Journey
and later decided to stay in that area.

3.
Henry Milward [250 acres] Henry
and his family were killed near Bermuda Hundred during the 22 Mar 1622 Indian
attack.

4.
Charles Magnor [650 acres]
A grant to William Hayward for 780 acres on 16 Oct 1642 mentions the land is bounded on south by Appamattucke Towne
& N. upon Swift Cr. "The residue being marsh before the plantation of
sd. Hayward & Commonly called the Conjurers Feild, beg. where land of Mr.
John Baugh endeth. Swift Cr. parts this from land formerly belonging to Samuell
Sharp. 650 acs. due by deed of sale from Charles Magnor, Feb. 8, 1634, to whom
it was granted Dec. 1, 1620." Both Samuel Sharp and Charles Magner are
on the Muster at Peirsey's Hundred which states Magner was age 16 and arrived 1623
[he actually arrived about 1618] on the George.

5.Samuell Sharpe [100 acres]
Muster taken Jan 1624 at Pierseys Hundred states Samuel Sharpe arrived on the
Seaventure in 1609.

6.Humphrey Kent [50 acres] Jan 1624
Muster states he arrived on the George in 1619. Another document
states his mother had been living in Virginia prior to his arrival.

7.
Mr. Abraham Persey [1150 acres]
Abraham was a Virginia Company stockholder arriving in 1616 aboard the Susan
which was the
1st Magazine Ship sent to the Colony. His wife, Elizabeth [Draper] Persey and two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, arrived
1616 on the Southampton. He later took another trip to England and returned on the George, the
2nd magazine ship sent to the Colony. In 1619, he made a trading
visit to Newfoundland on the George to exchange tobacco for
fish.

8.
Richard Symons [100 acres] In May
1625 Richard Simmons was credited with 100 acres of land upon the Appomattox
River.

9.
Arthur
Antonye [150 acres] He is named in a patent dated 10 Jun 1639, which shows he owned
150 acres on the Appomattox prior to 1625.

10.
William Dowglas [250 acres] He was a
servant in the Elizabeth City household of Jonas Stockton prior to being granted 250
acres upon the Appomattox River.

During the Indian massacre
William & Martha Sizemore retreated across the river where they are found on the 16 Feb 1623/4 list of the
living at West & Shirley Hundred. They were somehow overlooked during the 1624/5 census,
but reappear Jan 14, 1625/6 when William shipped 2000
lbs. of tobacco to England. Port Book. Port of Sandwich: Dover. Customer
Overseas imports and exports. f.19v. In the Godspeed of London, Samuel Dolton
Master, from Virginia, William Sisemore, native, imported 2000 lbs Virginia tobacco,
valued at £500, the duty in both cases being £25. Source:Library
of Virginia, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Survey Report No. 3758

West & Shirley Hundred on the north side of the James across from the mouth
of Appomattox River described as having 25 commanded by Capt. Isaac Maddison,
employed only in planting & curing tobacco with the profit thereof to cloth
themselves. In 1624 "West and Sherlow Hundred" had its own Burgesses
in the Assembly in the person of [Capt.] Isaac Madison and Richard Biggs.
Source: The First Seventeen Years Virginia 1607-1624
By Charles E. Hatch, Jr.

SAMUEL
SIZEMORE

BIRTH:
Abt 1625

IN:
VA

DEATH:
Bet 1675-1700

IN:
VA

FATHER:
William Sizemore

MOTHER:
Martha

WIFE:
Unknown

WIFE'S
FATHER: Unknown

MARRIED:
Abt 1649

IN:
VA

DESCENDING
SON:

William
Sizemore

Children:

1.
William Sizemore b: Abt 1650 in VA.

Most of the
Virginia records which existed prior to 1677 have been lost or destroyed, and
this is never more apparent then during the search for documents for Samuel
Sizemore. To make matters worse, there are a number of ways one
could possibly misspell Sizemore. I have seen Seizmore, Sisemore, Sismore, Sisemoure,
Sismoure, Sisemoore, Sismoore, Sisemoor, Sismoor, Sysemore, Sysmore, Sysmor,
Sysmoor, Sysmoore, Cysemore, Cysmore, Cysmor, Cysmoor, Cysmoore, Sizemor,
Sizemoore, Sizemour, Sizemoure.... well you get the point.

On
31 Dec
1636 Charles City: p.95 Patent bk. 1, pt. 2, p.590. Ralph
Wyatt, Gent. to Richard
Johnson, Roger
Davis & Abraham
Wood, Planters, 21 year lease; last day of
Dec. 1636. One parcell of land lying & being from Sizemore's
Creek & soe up the creek as farr as
Capt. Buttons land doth extend, from thence up to the Rock in Apamattock River,
thence along the river & soe into the Baye & from thence to Seizmore his
creek againe. Said Wyatt, his assigns &c. shall possess & enjoy 10 acs.
of the land aforesaid running down from the Rock above mentioned. Signed: Ralph
Wyatt. Witnesses Joseph Fister,
Daniell Lewellin. Surry
County Records, Surry County, Virginia, 1652-1684 by Eliza Timberlake Davis.

16 Jul 1639 -

Dorothy Clarke,
Widdow, 800a Henrico Co. Beginning at a creek formerly called Powells
Creek, W. towards Sizemores
Creek, S. towards the main river. 550a
due by assignment from Roger Davis
and due said Davis for transport of 11 persons whose names are not given and
250a by right of transport of 5 persons by her late husband William
Clarke, dec'd. Cavaliers and
Pioneers, Vol. 1, p. 117.

The
Virginia magazine of history and
biography, Volume 4, by Virginia
Historical Society states, "Att a
court held at Merchants Hope" on
Powell's Creek. Merchant's
Hope Plantation was located west of Flowerdew Hundred on the south shore of the
James River near the mouth of Powell's Creek in a portion of Charles City
County which was divided to form Prince George County in 1703. It was located
on the former site of Powellbrooke Plantation, whose owner Captain Nathaniel
Powell, one of the original 1607 colonists, his wife, and ten others
were killed during the Indian Massacres of 1622.

On 10 Jun 1654 in Surry Co., Virginia, Thomas
Rolfe [son of John Rolfe and Pocahontas] deeded 150 acres of land between Smith's Fort Old Field and the
Devil's Woodyard Swamp and all houses, etc. to WilliamCorker, being due unto the said Thomas Rolfe by
gift from the Indian King [Chief Powhatan his grandfather]. Witnesses were James
Mason and Edmund Howell. On backside
assigned by William Corker to WilliamBarber
22 Aug 1654. Witnesses were Richard Webster
and Samuel Suklemoe(Sizemore).
Assigned by
Willliam Barber to Roger Gilbert and Christopher
Mitchell on 1 Dec 1654. Witnesses William
Marriott and John Brady. Interest
assigned by Christopher Mitchell to Roger Gilbert. Witness was John
Corker. Surry County Records, Surry Co., VA 1652-1684 p.91, By
Eliza Timberlake Davis.

In
July 1678 a horse belonging to Abraham Womack and ridden by Thomas
Cocke was to run against a horse belonging to Richard
Ligon and ridden by Joseph Tanner. Joseph
was then a servant of Thomas Chamberlain, the
husband of Elizabeth Stratton. The winner was to receive 300 pounds of
tobacco. Abram Childers was the starter. The
horses rushed from the starting line but Cocke’s horse shied from the track
after running four or five lengths. Cocke quickly reined him in and cried out,
“This is not a fair start.” Thomas Chamberlain shouted to Joseph
Tanner to stop but he did not. When Joseph returned, he declared that the race
began fairly and he had won. Childers agreed but the parties took the matter
to court. In 1708 Thomas Chamberlain sued Richard
Ligon regarding the outcome of a race. The loser was to pay the other
forty shillings and pay for the gallon of rum provided for the enjoyment of
the spectators. Chamberlain’s horse had won.
Richard Lygon was
called the “Indian Fighter,” he died by 2 March 1723/4 when his executor
and son, Matthew Ligon, presented his now-lost will. Abraham
Womack Sr., Robert Elam, and John
Knibb appraised Richard Lygon’s estate for £30.3.3.

Thomas
Wells and Grace his wife, of plantation of Northampton, in Bristol
Parish, Henrico Co., for valuable consideration, to Richard Holmes of same,
all interest in land called Scurby Hill,100 cres, with all edifices, on south
side of Flintons Swamp, line between said Wells and Holmes,
Maj. Thos.Chamberlaine's line, which formerly William
Harris had, with all between that and Russell's
being part of land granted Wells 28 Oct.1672. 31 Jan. 1679/1680
signed Thomas (TW) Wells. Henrico Co., VA Wills, Deeds, etc. 1677-1792,
by Benjamin Weisiger, p.119.

From
the above court records, and additional records below, we know that Evan Owen
was the father of Margery Owen who married William Sizemore b. c1680 and
Richard Holmes and the widow Lockett were involved in caring for Margery
during her infancy and early childhood. Also, Major Richard Chamberlain
is mentioned as a witness to the will of Richard Holmes as was Margery after
her marriage to William Sizemore. This shows a continuous connection
between William and Martha Sizemore of early Jamestown and William and Margery
Sizemore of Henrico County.

20 Nov. 1686. Thomas
Wells of Bristol Parish, Henrico Co. to Robert
Clark and Anne his wife and Samuel Clark,
for love & affection to my said sister Anne and Samuel her son, 100 acres,
part of the plantation where I now dwell, called "Northampton" in
Bristol Parish, bounded by Halfway Swamp, Edward
Stratton, Sr., Richard Holms. The Clarks to enjoy it for life, and then
to their son Samuel. /s/ Thomas (TW) Wells Wit: Tho.
Chamberlayne, Richard (RH) Holmes, John (Jo) Wood, Fran. Edwin. Rec: 1
Dec. 1686. Henrico Co., VA Wills, Deeds, Etc. 1677-1692, p. 394.

19 Apr 1692 - "To all &c
whereas &c now know yee that I ye said Francis Nicholson Esqr. their mas.
Lieut Governr &c give and grant unto Mr. Abraham
Womack Senr. two hundred sixty nine acres of land lying and being in ye
County of Henrico and in ye parish of Verina two hundred acres part there of
being purchased of Gilbert Deckon [Deacon] ye
residue being Kings land bounding as followeth begining at a saplin on ye line
of Gilbert Elam deviding this survey and Wm
Clarke and runeth thence on Elams line south south west halfe west ninety
poles thence on ye lines of Edward Stratton south
south west three fourths west twenty four poles and south south west twenty six
poles and south south west halfe west twenty three poles and south east twenty
three poles and south east one fourth east fifty six poles and east south
east forty two poles and east by north fifty two poles and south south east
thirty two poles to ye line of Hugh Ligon thence on
his line east north east eighty poles to ye Granerey road thence north one
fourth west four poles and north east twenty nine poles and east by north sixty
four poles to ye corner of Thomas Shipeys land
thence on his line north by west seventy eight poles to ye corner that devides
his survey and Wm Clarke thence on Clarkes lines
west north west seventy six poles and west three fourths north thirty poles
& north west and by west three fourths west twenty two poles & west
north west eighteen poles & west north west one fourth northerly forty two
poles and north west and by west sixty poles to ye place it began The said land
being due unto ye said Mr. Abraham Womack Senr. by
& for ye importation of two persons &c To have and to hold &c To be
held &c yeilding and paying &c provided &c dated ye 19th day of
Aprill Ano Dom 1692." Henrico County Patent Book 8, pg 216.

2 Nov 1700 - Edward
Bowman and
John Bowman sold land that was
granted to Richard Holmes
by patent - Witness: John
Bolling, Rene
Laforss Signed Richard
Holmes, Anne his wife signed her rights to dower. [Note: Major
John Bolling's headstone reads that he was the great grandson of the Indian
Princess Pocahontas, and John Rolfe].

1 Jan 1707 - Richard
Holmes of Bristol Parish
Henrico County VA to Peter
Ashbrook Sr of the same for
2500 lbs of tobacco 257 Ares on South side of the James River of Swift Creek
adjacent Major John Bolling.
Deed # 41 p.72.

The Virginia 1704 Quit Rent Rolls are a list
of colonial land owners who were required to pay to the King an annual "quit
rent" of one shilling for every fifty acres.
Sheriffs of the various counties listed the amount each land owner owned for the
Receiver-General who collected the quit rents and passed the lists, with
his accounts, on to the English government. These lists were sent annually to
England, but sadly only the 1704 quit rent survived. The Library of
Congress has a copy of the original document which is housed in the British Public Record
Office. Unfortunately, William Sizemore was not listed on the 1704 Virginia Quit Rent
Rolls. With a number of individuals absent from the list who were known to
have lived in colonial Virginia, it is supposed that their names were written on
the missing parts of the list. It is also possible that he was deceased
prior to 1704 and his widow remarried,
and the name on the Quit Rent Rolls was the head of the household at that time.

Henrico Co., VA records show Margery Owen [born 1690],
daughter of Evan Owen and his wife Margery, was orphaned as an infant.
In 1712, she is Margery Sizemore, living in the same area of then Henrico Co.,
VA where William Sizemore received land in 1619. Colonial Wills of Henrico Co.,
VA Part 1 (1677-1737) by Benjamin B. Weisiger III, p. 88-137 of Henrico County
Wills and Deeds 1710-1714.

Inventory of estate of Evan
Owen and Margery his wife returned to court by Peter Field, it being
inconsiderable, and out of it several debts to be paid, among these to
Richard Holmes of Bristol Parish for nursing a young child of the
deceased, also to widow Lockett, and to Samuel
Newman for care of children. Estate to be sold and stay in hands of Henry
Randolph for use of the children. One of the orphans, a female, about 1
year of age to be bound to Richard Holmes. 1 Dec
1691. p47 - p399.

Will of Richard Holmes
of Bristol Parish to wife Ann was witnessed by
Thomas Chamberlayne, Daniel Jones and Margery
Sismore. Recorded 7 July
1712. The estate of Evan Owen and Margery
Owen, his
wife, both dec'd, taken Nov. 1691, included a debt to Richard Homes whose will
was witnessed by Margery Sisemore.

On 9 Feb 1737/38 William Sizemore
patented 200 acres
Amelia County, VA on both Sides of the Fort Branch of Mayes' Creek.

17 Oct 1741 17 Oct 1741 Joseph Cloud enters 200 acres on north side of Banister
River beginning below mouth of Wynne's Creek thence up the Creek and River.
Transferred to Edward Owen and sold to William
Sizemore. Deed recorded in Brunswick County,
Virginia, Entry Record Book 1737-1770 Land entries in the present Virginia
Counties of Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry, Franklin & Patrick in FHL
Book. Halifax Co., VA Land Entry Book p. 6/7.

13 Oct 1743
Surveyed Halifax Co., VA Marg. Sizemore by assignment from
Thomas Franklin enters for 200 acres on both sides of the north fork of Wynn's
Cr beginning at a Gt Lick thence up and down.

16
Mar 1747 George Sizemore enters 200
acres of Land on the Lower side Line of his mother Marg. Sizemore's Survey on
Wynne's Cr. beginning at her lower Corner W. O. thence up and down.

1748
Tax List - Cornelius Cargill Lunenburg Co., VA Ja

mes
Sizemore 1

-

William
Sizemore 1 - Henry
Sizemore 1

-

Ephraim
Sizemore 1 - Edw Sizemore 1

1750
Tax List - Cornelius Cargill Lunenburg Co., VA

-

George
Sizemore 1

-

Ephraim
Sizemore 1

On
17 Nov 1777
Thomas Green, Esqr., of Ninety Six District, South Carolina, to David Powell, of
Virginia, for L70, 140 acres in Halifax County, Virginia, on the north side of
Bannister River, bounded by the Rocky branch of Winns Creek–part of a 200-acre
patented to William Sizemore, who conveyed John Wells, then bequeathed by John
Wells to said Thomas Green... /s/ Thos Green. Wit: William Meriwether, Absalom
Hendrick, Ralph Cobb, Mesheck Overbey. (Halifax County, VA, Deeds,14:418).

1.
Goochland Co, Va. Wills and Deeds
1726-1736, p. 50. p. 500, Deed 22 May
1734. John Spear
of Goochland Co., to James Roberts of
St. Peters Parish, New Kent Co., land
on south side of James River on both
sides of Deep Creek, 400 acres,
bounded by Warram Easley, Horsepen
Branch of Deep Creek, for L 20. Wit:
James Goodall, Alex. Moss, Goodrich
Crump. Signed: John
Spears, Mary (M) Spears.
Recorded 21 May 1734.

2.
Court Records, Goochland County, VA,
Free Negro and Slave Records, 1739,
Library of Virginia. “Samuel Burton,
John Spears,
and Henry
Sizemore this day brought
before me the head of Hampton, an
outlawed slave belonging to John Owen
.... which said slave they could not
take without killing of him. (Signed)
George Carrington.”

3.
In 1753 Halifax Co., VA Plea Bk.1:
John Owen (a Churchwarden), James
Spears & Mary Sizemore
(cited for a debt which was dismissed
in 1755).

The Sizemore lineage below Edward
"Old Ned" Sizemore has been
adequately proven by various
documentation. However, the link
between George Sizemore and "Old
Ned" is not quite as clear
cut. Using the Eastern Cherokee
Applications as a starting point, Ron
Blevins, a descendant of "Old
Indian Ned" through his 3rd great
grandmother Lydia (Sizemore) Blevins,
wrote the following: "Most
of the ECA's that appear to be accurate
were filed by descendants of those
Sizemores who moved ca. 1835 from Ashe
Co, NC to what was to become Wyoming Co,
WV. Very possibly there was a family
Bible or other record that went with
them to WV. None of Ned's descendants
were on the Cherokee census lists, and
none were entitled to benefits, and of
course none were approved."
These ECA's believe George Sizemore to
be the son of Edward "Old Ned"
Sizemore, and a few recall hearing his
claim to be of Cherokee descent.
Of this group, many correctly identified
George Sizemore and named him as the son
of Ned and Ann Sizemore.

Ron Blevins provided information for the
following paragraphs regarding Edward
Sizemore. He is first found in
Lunenburg Co., VA in 1746 when he
purchased 400 acres of land, "below
the little Rock House above the mouth of
Little Polecat Creek on the south side
of Banister River," in what
is now Halifax Co., VA. In 1748,
he along with William Jackson and Thomas
Greenwood, witnessed the will of Henry
Green. The final mention of him in
Lunenburg was on the 1749 tax
list. In 1764, he reappears filing
a petition for land in St. George's
Parish in Georgia, stating on the
petition that he had been in Georgia for
8 months. A subsequent land
transaction makes mention to the fact
that he was the father of five or six
children. In 1772, land he owns in
St. Paul's Parish, Georgia is deeded to
William Jones.

Edward Sizemore reappears in Tryon Co.,
NC, involved in a court case settlement
in which a sum of money against George
Sizemore was recovered and Edward
Sizemore was acquitted. If this
was Edward "Old Ned" Sizemore,
then he may have provided bond for his
son George for some type of
investment. That same year In
Surry Co., NC, Edward Sizemore and James
Hart are listed in the same household as
taxables. In 1776, Edward Sizemore
signs an oath of allegiance to the
United States in Botetourt Co.,
VA. The Draper Manuscript contains
several references to the 1780 handing
of "the Troy Sizemore" by Col.
Benjamin Cleveland in Wilkesboro, NC
(part of Surry Co. in 1774).
Edward was the only Sizemore listed in
Col. Cleveland's District on the 1774
tax list, so it is more than likely
Edward "Old Ned"
Sizemore. In 1781, South Carolina
Loyalists pay records include Edward,
Owen and George Sizemore, however, if
Old Ned was hung in 1780, this 1781
Edward was his oldest son.

Anne
"Annie" Elizabeth Hart was the daughter of James Hart and Elizabeth
Morgan. There are ECA’s filed by
descendants of George J. Sizemore, his
youngest son, which say say he relocated
to Eastern Georgia around 1828.

Sheba
Sizemore and her husband Jacob Brinegar, Jr. joined the Edward B. Sizemore
caravan to present day Wyoming, West Virginia in 1835 and settled on the
"Sizemore Branch" of Bearhole. A farmer, shrewd trader and
businessman, Jacob acquired several tracts of land. In December, 1853, Sheba
disappeared. A search party led by John Logan Cook, Justice of the Peace,
found her bruised body buried in a shallow grave on Byrd Mountain.

Indicted
for the murder, Jacob was tried twice in Wyoming County and convicted of
manslaughter. Evermont Ward, his attorney, secured a change of venue to
another county and in the meantime, he married Parthenia Mitchell in 1854.
Jacob was free, but his life was far from satisfactory. His friends and
children of the first marriage deserted him, his neighbors had no respect for
him and avoided him. Expense of his trials and lawyers' fees consumed all
his property. He was released on bond several times, and by April 2, 1860,
he was one again indicted for murder. At his hearing, he entered a plea of
not guilty, and the case was continued with him being released once again on
$750 bail. It dragged along without being heard until Judge Samuels dismissed it
in September 1865.

"Marriages
of Wyoming Co, WV...", Vol 1, Haga, page 20. Albert Cline, age 57, widowed,
born in Montgomery Co, VA, son of Michael and Peggy, married on 28 Aug 1856
Peggy Cline, age 49, a widow, born in Wilkes Co, NC, daughter of Robert A. and
Martha Arms. Therefore, his wife's first name has been verified, but not
her last. Robert A. Arms is found on the 1800 Grayson County, Virginia tax
list http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/gray1800.htm
and is taxed as a male, over 21 with, owning one horse. He is listed with
familiar families from Halifax County, VA: Tanner, Russell, Powell,
Osborne, Jackson, Howell, Hart, Green, Evans, Blevins, to name just a few.
Some of these names go back to the Henrico settlement, and even to early
Jamestown.

Reference
book of Wyoming County history by Mary Keller Bowman, states the
following: Rev. "Little John" Sizemore married Jennie Arms lived
on Pinnacle Creek and several years later lived at the mouth of Cedar Creek. He
was closely associated with Elder John S. Mullens, who settled at New Richmond,
Wyoming Co., VA [later WV] between 1835-1840. Together they organized the Pinnacle Fork
Baptist Church.

There
is a story at http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/swift/herbertbioa.htm
about Martha Arms, sister of Virginia "Jennie" Arms spouse of Rev.
John Sizemore. At the present time, I have been unable to verify its
accuracy. According to a great grandson in Tennessee,
Jonathan [Osborne] raised 18 sons and numerous daughters.
Children
of Jonathan Osborne and Nancy Howell: William b. 1784 m. Mary; Jacob; Rachel m.
Elisha Blevins; David; Seth; Elias m. Sarah Sizemore (daughter of George
Sizemore [Virginia Indian descendant] and Anna Hart) -- Elias' son Solomon m.
Martha "Seaberry" Arms, a mixed race Cherokee woman who fled to West
Virginia to avoid the Trail of
Tears; Joshua; Josiah; Johannah; Sarah; Andrew; Nancy.

Solomon Osborne, son of
Elias and Sally Ann (Sizemore) Osborne, was born in NC in 1803 and died in Clay
Co.,
WV
in 1880.He
and his wife Seaberry
Arms were living in North Carolina and left sometime before 1845 and were married in Tazewell
Co.,
VA.
Due to the fact that Seaberry was a Cherokee and Solomon was three
quarters Indian, they may have
been married in Indian rites in NC.

In 1838, U.S.
troops were pushing the Cherokees from their ancestral lands in the hills of
western North Carolina. They were to be relocated to Oklahoma
to make room for white settlers. By then, Solomon and Seaberry,
were fleeing north, choosing the northern Cherokee hunting ground over the dusty
West. In all, about 1,000 Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears. Today, their
descendants are known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which is
headquartered in Cherokee, NC.

Solomon and Seaberry,
(Seaberry took the name Martha Arms), first settled in Tazewell, VA, where their cabin still stands and is on the National Historic Register.
However, the constant fear of being found out by the government and its anti-Indian
policies kept them on the move. They next settled in what is
now Wyoming
Co.,
WV, and finally Nicholas
Co., WV, where Seaberry died in 1866.